guestion

[rl]

  okay you guys cetting 200 to 250  per thousand . where are you / 260 per thousand for log's .150 per thosand to saw equels 410 per thousand.  i get framming mareials delivered to job for  450 per thousand and i havent't touched them yet    i should have a new mill on 10th of april  be real neat if could make money somewhere   how do you do it thank's r l

[oakiemac]

Could you clarify your question rl? I'm not quite understanding what you are asking. ???

[DanG]

rl, you ain't likely to come out too good trying to cut framing materials for conventional construction. You can save a little money, but you'll be working cheap. :

Where you can do well with your mill is cutting specialty stuff, like that real nice mantle, or some super wainscotting from an unusual local wood.  That kind of stuff is really high-dollar at the same place that almost gives you the framing lumber, and you can get most of it from "free" logs.

Don't give up on the milling, just adjust your thoughts a bit on the uses for it.

[RMay]

Re if you are buying logs on Doyle scale at $260 per thousand in log scale your over run in 12 to 20 in. logs will be 40 to 50 percent  :  [ 1000 bf. of logs will be 1500 bf. of lumber with a band mill ] ;D

[ARKANSAWYER]

                                 Let me try!
    
    If you can buy for $450 mbdft, How can you make money at $410 mbdft?  It falls something like this.  I can buy pine for $40 a ton or about $200 mbdft on the doyle scale.  If I saw out a 8' 2x4 that is 1 5/8 x 3 5/8 I get paid for 5.3 bdft.  Now since I get $200 per thousand to saw (my profit is 3 cents per bdft) and I pay $200 mbdft and I sell my pine lumber for $0.40 bdft so I get $2.00 for a 2x4x8'.  That is about what they are paying for them by the bundle in the store that are dry and planed.  In the 8 ft studing market you will starve to death.  But if you streach that into 16' 2x6's  which I get $6.40 for and they get $7.53 for at the store I make money.  Because in every log my band saves me atleast one of these boards and sawing that size allows me to saw over 300 bdft an hour instead of 200 to 250 my profit of $0.03 per bdft goes up since my labor cost remains the same.  The real money is in the longer and larger timbers as well as the special cuts.  I sawed a 6x10x20' two weeks ago that the guy wanted cut on the top so it was a 5 sided timber and it matches his 6/12 pitch roof.  "No problem" says I "it will just cost $150" and he said "add 42 full size 2x8x18's for $500 and you have a deal."  He picked them up today.
  You need to figure up your profit in the sawing part and get your profit from the logs in the overrun.  You will never beat the box store on studs but they do not have 16" wide pine boards or a 24 ft any thing. ;D
ARKANSAWYER

[rl]

  i agree with the comments. here is the picture. i've been charging 150 per thousand for boards and 2x4 130 per thousand for 2x6 and up. this is for custom sawing on a average day cutting boards and 2x4 we do a thousand feet    that means 150 dollars.$50 for tailer, $10 for fuel,$50 for blades.leaves me $40.  cutting 2x6 and up 2000 feet per day that means$260 once again $50 for tailer $10 for fuel $50 for blades . leaves me $150 [ better]  now the average per day is $95 mill payments about $30 per day  $65 per day is not enough                         back to my logs and selling lumber    i sawed bunch of pine last spring dried some of it .advertised it a few times last time for 75 cents got a couple calls one guy wanted it planed so i said 20 cents more , he whined and said he could buy it at a lumber yard cheaper . i checked it was $1.20 never heard frm him again either .  now the good news. I REALLY LIKE SAWING.  WHAT,S THAT SAYING      A BAD DAY OF SAWING IS BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY ON MY REGULAR JOB        RL

[ronwood]

rl,

How do you get $50.00 for blades? Unless you hit metal I don't see how it would be that much for a 1000 bd. ft.  With a debarker I can cut around 1000 bd. ft. with 2 blades. If I had a larger engine other than 25 hp I think I could do better. Sending them back to Woodmizer  is around $8.50 per blade making the blade cost $17.00. Of course you will have some days where the cost will be greater.

Also I was wondering why you can only charge $150 per thousand. It varies from location on the pricing. I get up to $300 per thousand in St. Louis. I'm sure that in the rural area it is a little less. Don't want charge to little or you won't be able to stay in business. Cutting the speciality items is the way to go.

[rl]

  ron wood                                                                           cost of blade  cost of resharp cost of shipping . i also started only sending them to resharp once. to many were braking real soon after two sharpenings. felt like i was paying 8.50 plus shipping fo not mutch more cutting   rl

[Minnesota_boy]

If you are breaking many blades after only two sharpenings, check your blade guides.  The blades are flexing too much somewhere or the sharpening isn't grinding out the gullets enough.  I expect a blade to last through at least 5 sharpenings and have seen them last 10.

[RMay]

rl look at the store 2x4 they are cut from 5 to 8 in. chip & saw logs that is brougth  for $22.00 per ton  delivered to the mill.  :

[Frank_Pender]

Gee, $22 a ton for chip and saw.  :'(  I just got $60 a ton for Dopuglas Fir, here on the Central Oregon Coast. 8)

[timberbeast]

Ain't been around for awhile,  Frank.  How's that MD runnin'?  Mine will be fired up and going to work on  maple in early June.  Hasn't let me down yet.  Must be goin' on twelve years now,  a guess??  Still the same blades.
Gotta love inserts!!!

[DanG]

Hey, T-Beast!   We ain't heard from you in a long time. I was thinkin' about you, the other day, and wondering if you'd ever come back. BOY, have you ever got a lot of catching up to do. :D :D

[timberbeast]

Hi,  DanG,  DanGit!!!
Catchin' up slowly........nice to see the board is still a great place.  Had computer trouble fer awhile,  then just kinda got busy,  same old,  same old.
I'm out of the business now,  but still slice up some stuff when I can get up to the mill.  Still as fun as ever!!!! 8)